


Upgrade

by bmo, voidofbreath (bmo)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 22:43:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5803195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmo/pseuds/bmo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmo/pseuds/voidofbreath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time for Equius to upgrade Tavros's legs again, and Tavros gets more than he expects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Upgrade

Nearly every sweep, sometimes more often, Tavros grew enough to warrant a new pair of legs. He never expected to shoot up so tall, although his horns predictably became more massive with no end growth in sight. At least most of his friends were out of horn whacking height now. 

Due to his ever changing body, Equius deemed his mechanical legs complicated enough to warrant visits on a weekly basis. 90% of the time, nothing needed maintenance, but he was insistent that the frequency was 100% necessary. At first, Tavros thought it might have been because Equius didn’t trust him to take care of himself, but eventually it was clear that he simply enjoyed having a project to work on. 

That was partially true, but it wasn’t just the busy work that attracted Equius. When Tavros was on his table, especially when his legs actually needed repairs or replacement, he was completely vulnerable and obedient to Equius. He’d visit when Equius scheduled him to, walk when Equius said walk, move as instructed without question, and answer most questions without hesitation. Everything was how it should be. The lowblood was obeying the highblood, as per tradition. Nevermind that there was no reason for Tavros to disobey him. Equius just enjoyed keeping the status quo.

A few weeks back, Tavros offhandedly bet that he’d never have legs with feeling. That was something Equius always wanted to dabble in, but never put much thought into applying it to Tavros’s situation. Oh, what a challenge it was, but the results were absolutely worth the sweat and blood (but mostly sweat) Equius put into it. Not only did he add synthetic nerves to this newest set of legs, he even went a step further; possibly giant staircases further. 

Oh, he couldn’t wait to see Nitram’s face when he unveiled his latest creation. Sweat was dripping off of him from nervous anticipation. For minutes that felt like hours, he waited until he heard the telltale clanking from the hall, and did his best to keep a cool straight face. 

Tavros came in, his gait unbalanced, and the heel of his metal foot dragging as he walked. Thankfully Equius finished the new legs right on time for the exchange.  
“Um, hey Equius. I hope you have something new for me, because, I don’t think I can deal with this, anymore, meaning, the falling a lot, because these don’t fit. Sometimes, I maybe think it’s time to use my four wheeled device again, but I guess I’m too proud to give up now.” 

“Of course, Nitram, would you expect any less from me? Now take a seat.” He couldn’t wait to toss out the old junky legs Tavros was wearing. That’s how he felt with every leg exchange, but usually it was a sense of shame in his old work, like an artist who despises his amateur paintings. This time he craved the praise and seeing Tavros as happy as he was when he was gifted with his first pair of legs. 

“On Alternia, I don’t believe I’d ever provide someone such as yourself with such generous gifts.” Equius liked to remind Tavros of this every so often, just so he could hear nervous gratitude and pointless apologies. The response he got this time was a little different than usual. 

“Well, we’re not on Alternia. And, I never originally asked for you to do this for me, so you could have let me keep my old flesh, even though it didn’t work at walking, it was easier to deal with.” 

Equius’s mouth was agape. Not once had Tavros ever outwardly expressed resentment for everything he’d done for him. Not until now. His excited smile quickly turned into a disappointed frown. 

“If you aren’t grateful, I suppose I won’t go on with the procedure, and you can leave.” His words had a sting to them and he sneered at Tavros. 

Tavros didn't look agitated or upset. He just looked fatigued. Yes, he was grateful for the prosthetics, but with his constant growing, the weekly maintenance was tiring. Sometimes he felt Equius enjoyed the work more than he enjoyed walking.

“We both know that’s not a thing that is going to happen. And, I never said that I wasn’t grateful. We're not on Alternia anymore. We're an endangered species now, we're all in this together, equally. I just don’t like when you act like we’re not friends, which I think we most definitely are, because, you’re a lot nicer to me than you think you are.” 

Everything a Tavros said was true, and for once Equius was put in his place. He choked down the lump in his throat and nodded. 

“Let's begin.” 

The exchange wouldn’t take much time or effort. About two sweeps ago, he’d designed a quick release system for emergencies and to make these procedures less surgical. 

Tavros already knew the drill, he leaned back and braced his torso up with his arms, while Equius pressed two stiff buttons on either side of Tavros’s metal hips, twisted, and within seconds, the old legs were off, and he unceremoniously dropped them on the ground. 

The sudden loss of his lower half, which was far more than half of Tavros’s body weight, always made him feel a little nauseated. Tavros had to carefully lay himself back on the table, breathing slowly with his eyes closed, while he waited for Equius to click the new parts on. 

For a moment, Equius considered showing off the new legs before he attached them, but the furrow in Tavros’s brow reminded him how uncomfortable this in between stage was. As quickly as he removed the old pair, he snapped the new set in place, expecting Tavros to instantly calm down. Instead, Tavros let out a piercing scream, and for a moment, violently twitched on the table. 

Equius had to stop himself from immediately comforting him, lest he accidentally hurt him more with his unfounded strength. His hand hovered above Tavros’s shoulder, and he tried asking if he was okay, but only stuttering came out. Before he could force any words out though, Tavros started to calm down, opened his eyes, and gave Equius a fierce glare. 

“I know, you might have been mad at me, but, you didn’t need to electrocute me, what’s wrong with you?” 

“I. No. I didn’t. No. I don’t know. Oh fudge.” There wasn’t a power source in the legs. Every prosthetic he built was powered by blood, either his own, or the user’s. The only explanation was… the nerves were actually working. Besides, the nervous system in a troll was made of countless tiny electrical pulses. Perhaps every synthetic nerve in the legs triggered at once when the new part was installed.

As gently as he could, Equius grazed a finger on one of the legs. Tavros’s eyes widened as he sat up, put his hands on his legs, then proceeded to happily clap his hands on his thighs.

“Oh my gosh. Oh gosh. How? I. Oh my gosh, what?” The surprise of having sensation had priority over what was right in front of his eyes. Equius stood back and smiled while Tavros took the time to soak it all in. 

“Skin! You gave me skin? And, and and. Toes!” He wiggled his toes, and tears just started pouring from his eyes. He was expecting a significant upgrade, but this was beyond what he could even imagine. This time, he thought he pushed the limits by betting Equius couldn’t give him feeling again. 

This wasn’t the first time he got Equius to add features without even asking. In fact, he never really asked. He always used phrases like “I bet you can’t,” or “Wouldn’t it be cool if,” when he wanted something new. If he asked, it’d feel like he owed Equius something. When he suggested a little sneakily, it seemed more like Equius was simply challenging himself to achieve something better. 

But none of that was going through Tavros’s head. All he felt was shock, amazement, and gratitude. Although he was shaking with sobs, he forced himself off the table and immediately felt the cool floor on his feet. He took a few steps forward and wiggled his toes, giggling and crying in joy. In that moment, everything he thought about the legs sometimes being more of a hassle than they were worth disappeared. 

Equius stood near, ready to catch him if he fell. Tavros stumbled toward him, right into his arms. But he hadn't fallen, he was hugging Equius tightly, face buried in his sweaty hair, further dampening it with his tears. 

“Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.” He couldn't say anything else for a while. Equius ever so gently wrapped his arms around Tavros’s waist, barely touching him. 

After Tavros’s happy sobs started to turn to just sniffles, he stopped hiding his face on top of Equius’s head and leaned back into the arms that were so gently holding him. 

“I could just kiss you, this is so perfect.” 

Equius looked up at Tavros, nodded at what he assumed was an invitation and stretched up a bit on his tip toes. That was all Tavros needed to lean down to mash their lips together. 

Most of the kissing was done by Tavros, who always had the right amount of pressure, and would suck and nibble on Equius’s lips in just the right ways. It didn't matter that his face was wet with tears, since Equius’s was wet with nervous sweat. Equius was afraid of harming him, but over time, he suckled and pushed back, trying not to be completely passive. 

After minutes that felt like an hour, they pulled apart just enough to stare at each other. Everything felt so flushed and right between them. Equius melted at the look of joy on Tavros’s face and Tavros’s blood pusher swelled as he gazed at the troll who always worked so hard to make him happy.


End file.
